Wakayama Medical University Hospital Perinatal Helicopter Ambulance Service: 14 Year Review

This article describes the long-term impact on perinatal medicine of a special helicopter air ambulance service that has been in service since 2003 for the remote areas of Wakayama and Mie prefectures, Japan. The authors conducted a retrospective observational study on helicopter air ambulance cases recorded between January 2003 and December 2016 at Wakayama Medical University Hospital (WMUH). Among a total of 5,088 helicopter flights, 61 (1.2%) were for perinatal maternal transfer and 73 (1.4%) were for neonatal transfer. Between 2003 and 2009, the mean period from transfer to birth was 0.6 weeks, whereas between 2008 and 2016, this increased to 1.6 weeks, and the survival rate of infants born after transfer did not differ significantly (84.2%, 32/38 versus 82.1%, 23/28). During the same time period, a total of 73 neonates were transferred, with a marked change between the first seven years and the latter seven years (between 2003 and 2009, n = 46, decreased to n = 27 between 2010 and 2016). The authors hypothesize that the reasons for the decline in neonatal transfer may have included the development of fetal diagnostic techniques and improved efficiency of neonatal ground-transport in the South Wakayama region. They conclude that the helicopter air ambulance is an important form of medical transportation in the south Kii peninsula of Japan.

• Record URL:
  • https://doi.org/10.1111/ped.13439
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/13288067
• Authors:
  • Kumagai, Takeshi
  • Riko, Mitsuhiko
  • Satoh, Masashi
  • Kakimoto, Nobuyuki
  • Sugimoto, Takuya
  • Ueda, Mina
  • Okutani, Takahiro
  • Higuchi, Ryuzo
  • Yagi, Shigetaka
  • Minami, Sawako
  • Higa, Asumi
  • Miyawaki, Masakazu
  • Suzuki, Hiroyuki
• Publication Date: 2018-1

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 63-66
• Serial:
  • Pediatrics International
  • Volume: 60
  • Issue Number: 1
  • Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated
  • ISSN: 1328-8067
  • EISSN: 1442-200X
  • Serial URL: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/1442200x

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Air ambulances; Emergency medical services; Helicopter transportation; Hospitals; Infants; Pregnant women; Rural areas
• Geographic Terms: Wakayama (Japan)
• Subject Areas: Aviation; Safety and Human Factors; Security and Emergencies; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01682912
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Oct 10 2018 4:43PM